PDP Warns APC, Says Enough is Enough-Chuks Okocha

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh

‘We will no longer tolerate attacks on Jonathan, institutions of democracy, national unity’

In an apparent move to whip the leading opposition political party into shape, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it would no longer condone the deliberate, unwarranted and sustained vicious attacks on the person and office of the president, the institutions of democracy and the unity of the nation from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

PDP further expressed concern that the warning last week by security experts that some opposition leaders may be planning to intensify mayhem against Nigerians to justify their only campaign point, which is insecurity, might not be unrelated to the increased spate of bombings following the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement  on Tuesday said the PDP would no longer fold its hands, while the desperate desire of the APC for power unleash impulses and actions posing threats to the very survival of democracy and the nation.

“The PDP has been watching carefully as the rank and file of the APC, the governors, party leaders, presidential hopefuls and even sidekicks run amok, competing in a heavily subjective castigation of President Jonathan with incendiary utterances, signposting its plans for the dastardly when it loses in next year’s general election.

“However, patriotism, the cardinal value of our great party, indeed, the price of our custodianship of the mandate of over 160 million Nigerians, calls for vigilance, maturity and responsibility, hence our restraints in the face of the naked lies and recklessness of the APC.

“We had thought that the silver hair of its top leaders would caution the thoughtless delinquency of its youngsters. Unfortunately, the recklessness of the old is in competition with the imprudence of the young. What a shame the APC has turned to!” The statement said.

The statement by PDP said the party’s decent political campaigns focusing on the achievements of its party at various levels of government should have served as a pointer to the APC on the need to maintain political decorum and primacy of national interest in the build-up to the forthcoming elections.

However, PDP said it was unfortunate that the APC had refused to shed its penchant for lies, deceit, propaganda, violence and blackmail, the centre piece of their agenda and message to Nigerians.

This disposition, PDP said, had led the APC to work in cahoots with the enemies of Nigeria in an attempt to wreck our democracy and throw the nation into chaos, hence the urgency of the need to warn that ‘enough is now enough’.

“We know that the aim of the APC is to set the stage for violence, instil fear in Nigerians, discourage them from actively participating in the electoral process, thereby giving room for them to perpetrate all manners of electoral malpractices (as evidenced by their cloning of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) which is the only way they may hope to achieve political power in Nigeria. This position is reinforced by their constant threat to cause violent pandemonium when they lose the elections.

“Recall that today’s leaders of the APC had, while contesting on different platforms in 2011, issued such threats and went ahead to precipitate an unprecedented post-election violence in which hundreds of innocent Nigerians lost their lives, yet, the same election was adjudged by local and international observers as the most credible in our recent history.

“One must then ask. Is violence and inflammatory statements the manifesto of the APC? Is plotting against the oneness of the nation the party’s article of faith? Is the never-ending attempt to ridicule the highest office in the land a credo and an explanation of the alternative the APC is flaunting?

“Nigerians may recall that on November 5 at Ilorin, Kwara State capital, the APC leaders with their governors, converging for their usual revelry and self-indulging insults, delegated themselves and self-styled national leader to take stupidity to its apogee by asking President Jonathan to resign.

“On November 19, APC leaders unfurled the much pinched wrap by declaring that they would lead a rebellion against President Jonathan and install a parallel government should APC lose next year’s presidential election.

“In less than 24hours, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, on November 21, on a live NTA morning programme, admitted that the APC knew what he called genuine leaders of Boko Haram and went childish by accusing the president of deliberately allowing insurgents take over the country,” PDP said.

The party also said that one of the deductions Nigerians would easily make from the unfolding scenario is that the APC has neither an agenda nor an issue to offer.
“Nigerians have waited for too long for the APC’s roadmap with convention after convention (two in less than a month) producing only humbug, claptrap and a regurgitation of worn- out anachronistic clichés.

“It is therefore clear that the APC is not preparing for elections, rather actively planning to scheme itself into power in 2015, using violent uprising as replacement for peaceful polls.

“Nevertheless, we wish to assure all Nigerians that the PDP is not willing to follow the APC in this road to infamy but to remain focused and jealously protect the interest of the nation, while serving and confidently campaigning and marketing its manifesto to Nigerians,” the party said.

Culled from Thisday